Development of professional learning communities in school

Development of professional learning communities in school settings

Development of professional learning communities in school settings

Introduction

In education circles, the term learning community has become commonplace. It is used to refer to any number of things, such as the expansion of school practice in the community, the involvement of community staff in schools to improve curriculum and learning objectives for students, or engaging students, teachers, administrators, and also in the process of learning - offered only some of them.

This paper focuses on what Astuto and colleagues (1993) label the professional community of learners, in which the teachers in a school and its administrators constantly seek and share learning and then act on what they learn. The goal of their actions is to improve their effectiveness as professionals so that students benefit. This understanding has also been termed communities of continuous inquiry and improvement.

As an organizational structure, professional learning community is regarded as a powerful approach to staff development and a powerful strategy to another school and improvement. Thus, individuals at all levels of education are concerned about school improvement - employees of the Department of State, members of the intermediate agency, the district and campus administrators, teachers, leaders, key parents and local communities, schools - should find this document of interest. This article is an abbreviated review of the literature Hord (1997), which explored the concept and practical training, as well as their implications for staff and students. Body: A Discussion and Analysis

In the eighties, Rosenholtz (1989) brought teachers' workplace factors in the discussion of the quality of teaching, claiming that teachers who feel supported in their own lifelong learning and classroom practice were more committed and effective than those who did not receive such confirmation. Support with teacher networks, cooperation among colleagues, as well as expand the professional role of teachers has increased efficiency in meeting the needs of students. In addition, Rosenholtz found that teachers with high self-efficacy are likely to adopt new patterns of behavior class, and also more likely to remain in the profession.

McLaughlin and Talbert (1993) reaffirmed the conclusions Rosenholtz, suggesting that when teachers have opportunities for joint investigation and research related to it, they were able to develop and share a body of wisdom gleaned from their experience. Adding to the debate, Darling-Hammond (1996) cited shared decision-making as a factor in curriculum reform and the transformation of teaching roles in some schools. In such schools, structured time is designed for teachers to work together in planning instruction, observing each other's classes, as well as sharing feedback. These and other attributes characterize a professional learning community. Attributes of professional learning communities

The literature on professional learning communities repeatedly gives attention to five attributes of such organizational activities: 1. support and shared leadership, 2. collective creativity, 3. shared values and vision 4. supportive conditions, and 5. total personal practice. Each of them is briefly discussed in this paper. Supportive and shared leadership

Change and leadership training literature explicitly ...